Sunday, January 19, 2014

Οικονόμος χαρις

"as each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace."

1 Peter 4:10

In Greek they look like this,

"οικονόμος χαρις"

and read like this,

"oikinomos charis".

I am oikonomos of charis.

These words, first Greek, now English -

are me.

I am steward of grace because HE was oikinomos of charis first;

because the WORD became these words.

He took on the form of a steward and bought me for the rich feast of His loving favour.

"One entrusted with the care and duty of serving the Master's resources to others; resources of merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in faith; kindling their exercise of Christlike virtue."

They tell me this is what it means.

I read words on paper; their purpose to define, wondering how the most radical and glamorous of loves can be housed in these common groupings of letters?

These words, and it is!

The most glamorous of loves housed here.

Brought to the feast of His boundless love.

Served on overflowing, never-ending favour; facets and depths,

innumerable.

inexaustible.

infinite.

GLORY.

I partake by becoming oikonomos.

In serving of His vast mercies to another, -many anothers -I am filled.

This is beauty. This is love. This is life.

In the giving, the laying aside,

the dying.

This is where I live. I feast here.

And I am filled.

As the days flow in and evenings fade out.

As the hard comes; aches, tears, and always the more dying.

As laughter splits sides; hearts bursting under joy's full and glorious weight.